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Girl wrestlers aiming for their first State championships
Friday, March 3, 2006
By DARREN COOPER
STAFF WRITER
Betsy Montanez and Kim Salma want to give female wrestlers in New Jersey a shot at what they could only dream about.
With all of the attention focused on the region championships this weekend, Montanez and Salma are training for what they hope are the first New Jersey female State wrestling championships.
"We have made a lot of progress," said Montanez, who wrestled at North Bergen for a year before competing at Montclair State. "I wish I had had a chance to win a State title, but the opportunity wasn't there for me, so I am creating it for other girls."
Montanez, 27, has been coaching boys and girls in the Bergenfield recreation program for the last four years. Salma, a junior at Ramapo College, started working in the Fair Lawn recreation program this year. The two have joined forces at a club in Saddle Brook and hope to start a girls-only youth wrestling league.
"I just think that this is a whole new era," said Salma, 20, who was the first female wrestler to win a match at a region tournament while at Fair Lawn. "This sport is amazing, you wrestle one-on-one, girls finally have a sport where they can compete against one another in this way. This is a great feeling."
For the last two years, New Jersey has held a girls wrestling tournament in Hackettstown, but it was never considered a true State championship because competitors from other states were allowed to compete.
The event, which usually is held around the same time as the male State championships, was originally scheduled in Newton this year, but now will be held in Columbus on March 18.
Montanez feels as if this tournament is a prelude to a State-sponsored, New Jersey-only wrestling championships for girls.
"We have so many young girls that are in middle school right now that I think we are only a couple of years away from having women's teams in the high schools and that would be something the NJSIAA would have to recognize," said Montanez.
NJSIAA assistant director Bob Baly said that for the State to sponsor a state individual championship in girls wrestling, a member school in the NJSIAA would have to propose it.
"We would take a look," said Baly. "I would have to see what the numbers are and if the numbers warrant it. If we have good numbers and it's not just a silly thing, I think we would entertain the notion."
Salma said there are 20 girls wrestling in her club program, and Montanez has worked with Lakeland sophomore Louise Marlow (who is ranked 11th in the country in her weight class by the United States Girls Wrestling Association) and Pope John's Shannon Carter, who wrestle on their boys high school team.
Numbers of female high school wrestlers statewide are hard to determine. Baly said he had no concrete figures, just anecdotal evidence, but he said the state is usually proactive on bringing in new championships.
"We would make the room," said Baly. "If the interest is there, we would make the room. I cite our rationale with golf; we made room for girls golf."
The State sponsors 32 State championships and five years ago began to recognize girls golf, though there are few high school girls golf teams.
Girls wrestling could follow a similar path to NJSIAA recognition. Individuals on predominantly male teams could compete in dual meets with their teams, but not attend Districts and Regions, instead choosing to compete in an all-girls State championship.
"Some parents don't want their girls to wrestle a boy and likewise; it's really difficult to convince parents and coaches that this is OK," said Montanez. "It's also difficult to convince them that this is what our sport needs. With all of the college teams being cut, developing a women's team could save a program. We really do need this, because we have female Olympic wrestlers and we need a pool for them to draw from."
California, Wisconsin and Missouri sponsor girls state wrestling championships, and Montanez envisions a big New Jersey State tournament, the weekend after the boys championship, in Wildwood perhaps, where the State's best female wrestlers compete.
"They are all just scattered, and we are trying to centralize them," Montanez said. "It's a lot of work, but I don't care. I just want to see that happen."
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She wrestles with the boys, and wins
By Travis Houslet 3/2/06
BARABOO - One day after Tomahawk High School wrestler Alyssa Lampe made history by becoming the first girl to reach a WIAA state final, Baraboo's Michelle Organ made her own wrestling history. Organ became the first Baraboo girl to win a state wrestling championship when she finished in first place in her weight bracket at the Wisconsin Girls State Wrestling Championships in Kenosha on Sunday.
Organ, age 11, has been wrestling for six years, as well as playing youth football in Baraboo for the past two seasons. She currently wrestles in the Baraboo youth and middle school wrestling programs.
Last season, Organ became the first Baraboo girl to qualify for the Wisconsin state youth co-ed tournament, where she went on to a seventh place finish. Organ regularly wrestles against and beats boys at the co-ed tournaments she wrestles in. She said some of the boys don't take too well to losing to a girl.
"One guy I wrestled, he had never been beat by a girl and I beat him," Organ said. "He had a fit and was kicking his stuff."
Organ's mother Patty Pierce, said some boys are even afraid to take the mat against Organ, recalling an experience at last year's youth co-ed regional tournament when it took a lot of convincing for one opponent to finally go toe-to-toe with her daughter.
"We had a boy that was very afraid to wrestle her, so it took 2.5 hours of coaxing him to either forfeit or wrestle," Pierce said. "He finally said 'we'll wrestle in a half hour,' and Michelle said, 'no, we'll wrestle now.' And she beat him now."
While Sunday's state tournament was an all-girls tournament, most of the matches Organ has wrestled in has been against boys in co-ed tournaments. At these tournaments, it's pretty normal for the boys to make the mistake of taking Organ lightly because she is a girl.
"A lot of times we hear, 'it's a girl, an easy pin,'" Pierce said. "She doesn't get pinned though."
Organ said hearing that from her opponents only motivates her to prove that girls can compete in wrestling.
With Sunday's first place finish at the girls state meet, Organ earned a spot to compete at Lake Orion, Mich., at the national girls tournament on April 1-2. One of the highlights for Organ at the national tournament will be the opportunity to meet Lampe. Organ will also compete at the co-ed wrestling regionals in Richland Center later this month, where she hopes to advance to compete at the youth state tournament for a second straight year.
Baraboo youth wrestling coach Harry Nelson wasn't surprised by Organ's state championship, where she pinned both of her competitors in a combined time of less than two minutes.
"She's pretty tough. She's made it to state before through the boys youth tournaments," Nelson said. "It will be interesting to see how she does at the nationals."
According to Nelson, Organ is one of two girls who wrestle in the Baraboo youth program. Nelson thinks wrestling will become an even more popular sport for girls in Baraboo and throughout the country after Lampe's recent success, and because of Michaela Hutchison of Alaska. She won the 103-pound weight class during the state's big school tournament Feb. 4, becoming the first girl to win a state title wrestling against the boys.
While Organ would like to see more girls compete locally, she hasn't been trying to recruit any of her friends.
"Most of the girls I hang around are too girly," Organ said.
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Coed teams at high-school level continue to grow in popularity
Thursday, March 02, 2006
‘‘Girl wrestlers" have made slow but steady progress since the days of Ethel Johnson.
Several Columbus high schools — including Briggs, East and West — have coed wrestling teams.
The three female members of his team, said Brian Nicola, head wrestling coach at West, have enjoyed a camaraderie with their male teammates and one another.
‘‘The guys on my team don’t seem to care," Nicola said. ‘‘If a girl comes in and works hard, that’s all they care about.
‘‘They give up a lot of things. They walk around bruised all season. They have to keep their nails short."
West senior Catey Beatty, the No. 2 female high-school wrestler in the nation, is willing to do whatever she has to do, she said — as are her teammates Kate Futty and Jessica Varney.
"It’s just an awesome experience," said Beatty, 18.
She became interested in wrestling through male cousins involved in the sport, she said.
Beatty has wrestled since her freshman year and been accepted at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. — home of a topranked women’s wrestling team.
In the summer, she will head a female wrestling club that has already drawn at least 15 young women at West, Nicola said.
"We want to get girls interested," Beatty said.
Nicola, who has noted a growing interest in wrestling among girls, thinks the inception of a statewide female division would encourage even more of them.
"We’re behind the curve, for as good of a wrestling state as we are," he said. "It’s a great sport."
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Floyd Dryden wins Southeast regional mat championship
Dzantik'i Heeni finishes in sixth place
By TIM NICHOLS 3/2/06
JUNEAU EMPIRE
As Floyd Dryden Middle School wrestling coach Geoff Harden kept track of the team scores during last weekend's Southeast Middle Schools Regional Championships at Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School, he figured his team had a good chance to win.
The final tally, however, surprised Harden. Floyd Dryden won the 10-team tournament with 264.5 points, 113 points more than second-place Wrangell.
"The semifinal round is the big round in the tournament," Harden said. "A win in the initial rounds is worth two points, in the semifinals they're worth 12 points. I had 10 kids win in that semifinal round. I knew then that it looked pretty good."
Overall, Dryden claimed five individual titles in the 17 different weight classes and had 13 different wrestlers garner top-three honors.
Based on that depth, Dryden had no problems taking the title.
"We had a really good group of younger kids," said Harden, who is in his 19th year coaching at the school. "I'm losing, out of a squad of 32, only nine. There are a good group of sixth-graders who came back and are now seventh-graders."
Among the champions for Dryden, sixth-grader Thomas Riley won the 75-pound division while Eric Hill claimed the 85-pound title.
Kyle Barry, younger brother of Juneau-Douglas High School grapplers Kurt and Matt Barry, won the 95-pound title; Ryan Cao captured the 121-pound bracket; and John Gregory defeated Dzantik'i Heeni's Ben Rupe for the 174-pound title.
"We had a lot of kids showing up at the volunteer conditioning," Harden said of his team. "We had kids right after Christmas and all they were doing was working out hard."
Dzantik'i Heeni took sixth place in the team competition. The team, headed up by JDHS wrestling coach Kris Mercer, had one individual champion. Eric Moy upended Phillip Johnston of Ketchikan for the 133-pound championship.
There were also a number of girls in the competition. Ketchikan's Denise Weston finished second at 174 pounds while Dzantik'i Heeni's Annette Highly finished third at 121-pounds. Highly won her division two weeks ago at the sixth Alaska Girls Wrestling State Championships on Feb. 11 in Sitka.
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Sportswomen to Honor Army Wrestler
Army News Service | Tim Hipps | March 02, 2006
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Alexandria, VA. - Sgt. Iris Smith, who won the gold medal in the women’s 158.5-pound freestyle division of the 2005 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest Hungary, will receive an award for her accomplishments from the Sportswomen of Colorado on March 12 in Denver.
Stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., Smith is the only American to win a gold in the tournament and she became just the fourth U.S. woman wrestler to win a world crown, joining Tricia Saunders, Kristie Marano and Sandra Bacher.
To reach the championship match, Smith posted victories over Bulgaria’s Stanka Zlateva, Poland’s Angnieska Wieczczek and Germany’s Anita Schaetzle. The final match pitted Smith against five-time world champion Kyoko Hamaguchi of Japan who she defeated 3-1, 1-1 and 1-0 which gave her the crown.
Smith has competed twice in the World Championships. The first was in 2000 when she placed seventh. She also made Team USA’s roster for the 2001 World Championships but missed the tourney to attend Army basic training.
Hailing from Albany, Ga., Smith qualified for the U.S. World Team by winning the World Team Trials in June at Ames, Iowa, where she defeated Ali Bernard of New Ulm, Minn., in the championship series.
Smith won her fourth national championship in April at Las Vegas, where she pinned Bernard in the second period of their bout. In May, Smith won a bronze medal in the 2005 World Cup at Clermont-Ferrand, France, where she lost only to Hamaguchi.
Founded in 1974 by the YWCA of Metropolitan Denver, Sportswomen of Colorado claims to be the first community-based organization in the nation to solely honor female athletes, celebrate their achievements, and recognize those who have improved sports for girls and women.
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De Los Santos, Foree win medals at girls' NCS finals
By staff reports 3/1/06
NEWARK --Upper Lake High School's Angelica De Los Santos and Lower Lake's Brytanni Foree reached their weight division finals and ended up finishing second on Saturday at the North Coast Section Girls' Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Newark.
De Los Santos, competing at 98 pounds, received a first-round bye before scoring an 8-0 major decision over Thuy Tran of Newark Memorial in the quarterfinals. De Los Santos then pinned Claudean Pangan-oran of San Leandro in the first round of the semifinals.
Paired against Gabrielle Solis of Castro Valley in the championship match, Solis pinned De Los Santos in the second round.
Lower Lake's Foree also received a first-round bye into the quarterfinals, where she pinned Amador Valley's Larissa Lipparz a little over a minute into the first round. Foree came back to score a 7-4 decision over Christina Brown of Redwood in the semifinals.
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In the finals, Natalie Bierwith of Monte Vista pinned Foree 32 seconds into the second round.
Medals were awarded down to eight places in all weight classes.
Upper Lake placed 19th in the 39-team standings with 19 points. Lower Lake tied Piner and Windsor for 20th place with 18 points.
Castro Valley won the team title with 100 points. San Leandro came in second with 93, Albany was third with 68, Redwood finished fourth with 53 and Miramonte came in fifth with 42.
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WHAT: Chevron/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association wrestling championships for boys and girls
WHERE: Blaisdell Arena
WHEN: Friday and Saturday
SCHEDULE: Friday—Preliminary, consolation and quarterfinal rounds, starting at 10:30 a.m. Saturday—semifinals at 10:30 a.m. with girls championships at 4:30 p.m. and boys championships at 6:30 p.m.
WEIGHT DIVISIONS: 14 for boys from 103 to 275 pounds; 11 for girls from 98 to 220
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Kamehameha boys; Iolani girls
ADMISSION (all day): $9 adults, $5 age 62 and older and students K-12. Blaisdell adds a 50 cents surcharge to every ticket sold.
PARKING: $5
SEEDINGS
103 POUNDS
1. Carla Watase (Iolani)
2. Bandie Dela Rama (Mililani)
3. Ashley Hayase (Lahainaluna)
4. Renee Mitchell (Kelakehe)
108 POUNDS
1. Danica Auna (Kahuku)
2. Vicki Milanio (Lahainaluna)
3. Megan Morisada (Iolani)
4. Courtney Tsuchiyama (Waiakea)
114 POUNDS
1. Tani Ader (Farrington)
2. Jasmine Dollopac (Maui)
3. Reiko Campos (Kamehameha)
4. Shina Tohara (Kealakehe)
120 POUNDS
1. Sheryl Manglaylay (Lahainaluna)
2. Cherae Pascua (Mililani)
3. Raena Campos (Kamehameha)
4. Joyce Fong (Kamehameha-Hawai'i)
125 POUNDS
1. Ashley Poling (Kaiser)
2. Natasha Chang (Baldwin)
3. Jenny Ojerio (Punahou)
4. Erina Mitchell (Kealakehe)
130 POUNDS
1. Piikea Kalalau (Baldwin)
2. Mysia Kamakaala (Kahuku)
3. Kiana Parilla (Kamehameha)
4. Keonaina Flavin-Sylva (Kohala)
140 POUNDS
1. Kara Takasaki (Punahou)
2. BN Alafanso (Farrington)
3. Kadia Shaw (Lahainaluna)
4. Grillena Jack (Hilo)
155 POUNDS
1. Alica Fu (Moanalua)
2. Janna Amby (Lanai)
3. Marissa Bartels (Kamehameha)
4. Barbara Kekaula (Waiakea)
175 POUNDS
1. Desiree Memea (University)
2. Kailee Andrade (Baldwin)
3. Marlene Suckel (Kahuku)
4. Ashley Kanai (Konawaena)
220 POUNDS
1. Randolyn Nohara (Kamehameha)
2. Ashley Lilo (Farrington)
3. Olivia Fatongia (Iolani)
4. Andrea Reyes (Moanalua)
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TheMat.com U.S. Senior rankings released this week
TheMat.com U.S. Senior Women's rankings
Date Ranked:03/01/2006
Ranked By TheMat.com
48 kg (105.5 lbs.)
1. Stephanie Murata, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Mary Kelly, Mahomet, Ill. (USOEC/New York AC)
3. Sara Fulp-Allen, El Granada, Calif. (Menlo College)
4. Clarissa Chun, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
5. Hana Askren, Los Angeles, Calif. (Santa Monica WC)
6. Laura Felix, Bakersfield, Calif. (New York AC)
7. Jessica Medina, Pomona, Calif. (Cumberland College)
8. Liz Short, Lombard, Ill. (USOEC)
9. Joey Miller, Woodward, Okla. (New York AC)
10. Sadie Kaneda, Honolulu, Hawaii (USOEC)
.
51 kg (112 lbs.)
1. Patricia Miranda, New Haven, Conn. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Jenny Wong, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
3. Malinda Ripley, Colorado Springs, Colo.(Sunkist Kids)
4. Julieta Okot, New York, N.Y. (New York AC)
5. Caitlyn Chase, Hanover Park, Ill. (Gator WC)
6. Maika Watanabe, Napa, Calif. (Missouri Valley)
7. Kapua Torres, Kahuku, Hawaii (Pacific Univ.)
8. Claire DuPont, Leadville, Colo. (Colo. School of Mines)
9. Michaela Hutchison, Soldotna, Alaska
10. Cheryl Wong, Croton, N.Y. (New York AC)
55 kg (121 lbs.)
1. Marcie Van Dusen, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Tina George, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
3. Sharon Jacobsen, El Cajon, Calif. (USOEC/Gator WC)
4. Chelynne Pringle, Hugo, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)
5. Danyelle Hedin, Kailua, Hawaii (USOEC)
6. Tatiana Padilla, Laverne, Calif. (California Grapplers)
7. Nicole Darrow, Lanesboro, Mass. (USOEC)
8. Amy Borgnini, Terre Haute, Ind. (USOEC)
9. Sara Peasley, Escanaba, Mich. (Team Intensity)
10. Tina Pihl, Colorado Springs, Colo. (unattached)
59 kg (130 lbs.)
1. Sally Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Gator WC)
2. Deanna Rix, South Berwick, Maine (New York AC)
3. Leigh Jaynes, Burlington, N.J. (U.S. Army)
4. Othella Lucas, San Diego, Calif. (New York AC)
5. Na’Tasha Umemoto, Portland, Ore. (Sunkist Kids)
6. Brooke Bogren, Carbondale, Kan. (Missouri Valley)
7. Bethany Harris, Valley Center, Calif. (No Mercy)
8. Michelle Ludwig, San Diego, Calif. (Pacific Univ.)
9. Laurin Daniels, Vashon Island, Wash. (Menlo College)
10. Erica Chew, Houston, Texas (Missouri Valley College)
63 kg (138.5 lbs.)
1. Sara McMann, Iowa City, Iowa (Sunkist Kids)
2. Alaina Berube, Escanaba,Mich. (New York AC)
3. Erin Tomeo, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
4. Elena Pirozhkov, Colorado Springs, Colo. (NE Elite)
5. Rachel Billerbeck, Plugerville, Texas (Missouri Valley)
6. Brandy Rosenbrock, Harrison, Mich. (USOEC)
7. Kaci Lyle, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
8. Stefenie Shaw, Waterford, Conn. (USOEC)
9. Jackie Cataline, Corona, Calif. (Cataline’s Wildcats)
10. Tori Adams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
67 kg (147.5 lbs.)
1. Katie Downing, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)
2. Kristie Marano, Colorado Springs, Colo. (New York AC)
3. Randi Miller, Arlington, Texas (USOEC)
4. Heather Martin, Wellington, Ohio (New York AC)
5. Shelly Ruberg, Ueras, Ohio (Cumberland College)
6. Andrea Hale, Chicago, Ill. (Lassen College)
7. Jade Prudent, Houston, Texas (Menlo College)
8. Laura McDonald, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force)
9. Cindy Herceg, Los Angeles, Calif. (Santa Monica Bay WC)
10. Sara Hilliard, Lawrence, Kan. (Missouri Valley)
72 kg (158.5 lbs.) /b>
1. Iris Smith, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)
2. Stephany Lee, Honolulu, Hawaii (Missouri Valley)
3. Ali Bernard, New Ulm, Minn. (Univ. of Regina)
4. Tabitha Golt, Chesapeake, Va. (Cumberland College)
5. Donell Bradley, Aiea, Hawaii (USOEC)
6. Melissa Simmons, Ridgefield, Wash. (USOEC)
7. Desiree Memea, Ewa Beach, Hawaii (Hawaii Rainbow Wahine)
8. Dallas Monreal-Berner, Niles, Ill. (unattached)
9. Brittany Jones, San Antonio, Texas (Missouri Valley)
10. Stacy Martell, Hillsboro, Ore. (Pacific Univ)
Copyright 2006 by USA Wrestling and TheMat.com.
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USA Wrestler magazine to bring back Photo Contest and Kids Page features
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
03/02/2006
USA Wrestler, the official magazine of USA Wrestling, has revived two of its more popular feature sections, the Photo Contest and the Kids Wrestling Page.
These new features will provide opportunities for the wrestling community to submit materials for publication in the magazine, as well as on the official website TheMat.com.
PHOTO CONTEST
Do you like to take pictures of wrestling competitions? Do you find you enjoy watching wrestling through the lens of a camera? Have you taken any action shots of wrestling that make you proud? Do you anticipate the big throw or the pinning combination and capture it on film or in a digital image? USA Wrestling is interested in you!!!
USA Wrestler is seeking your best wrestling photography for publication in a future issue of the magazine. In addition, other great wrestling photos may be posted for others to enjoy on TheMat.com, which is the official website of USA Wrestling.
Wrestling is a very visual sport that provides great opportunity for dramatic photography. We are seeking photographs of wrestling at all levels, including Kids wrestling action, high school and college wrestling and international style competition. USA Wrestling will send a copy of the current Team USA Guide to all of those whose photos are published.
USA Wrestling reserves the right to publish all materials submitted for the Photo Contest with no restrictions.
Send in your wrestling photos in print form or in digital form today! If you enjoy taking wrestling pictures, share them with everybody!!!
Mail photos to: Gary Abbott, USA Wrestler Editor, 6155 Lehman Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918.
E-mail photos to:gabbott@usawrestling.org
KIDS PAGE
USA Wrestler is bringing back its popular Kids Wrestling Page for future issues of the magazine.
Years ago, when USA Wrestler was a newspaper, there was a Kids Wrestling Page in each issue of the publication. Young wrestlers from across the nation sent in their best wrestling material for consideration for this page. Included were paintings, drawing, poems, stories and other creative work done by Kid wrestlers of all ages. A variety of these were published in USA Wrestler. for the nation to see and read.
USA Wrestler is asking young wrestlers to send in their stuff!!! If you have something that you are especially proud of, please share it with the rest of the wrestling community. The work could appear on USA Wrestling’s web page TheMat.com, or in an edition of the USA Wrestler magazine. USA Wrestling reserves the right to publish all materials submitted for the Kids Page with no restrictions.
Mail to: Gary Abbott, USA Wrestler Editor, 6155 Lehman Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80918.
You can also send in digital versions of your work via e-mail to: gabbott@usawrestling.org.
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USA Wrestling members are asked to complete diversity survey
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
03/02/2006
USA Wrestling members are asked to fill out a survey concerning their race/ethnic background, as part of the organization’s responsibilities concerning the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act.
Filling out the form is voluntary, and all members of USA Wrestling are encouraged to participate. The deadline for the survey is March 24, 2006
As part of the U.S. Olympic Committee, a report must be filed to Congress and the President which includes the following:
1. Data concerning the participation of women, disabled individuals and racial and ethnic minorities in the amateur athletic activities and administration of the corporation and national governing bodies; and
2. A description of the steps taken to encourage the participation of women, disabled individuals and racial minorities in amateur athletic activities.
To download the survey, click on the link below.
http://www.themat.com/forms/EEOQuestionnare.pdf